I'd say it is much more than just a nice gesture to hand over basically all physical evidence of our life as an artist to a place for scholars to study them. There's not just the idea of parting with your lifework, but allowing others to study it - and open up your work also to scholarly criticism that wouldn't be possible without the actual scores and sketches at hand. I think this is an incredibly generous gift that Williams made there. And I hope it shuts the mouths of those who were alluding to ghostwriters working on Williams' scores.

Have people said he has ghostwriters? That's really funny...that happened recently with Philip Glass and the thing about these guys who write with pencil and paper, there are literally 30 to 40 thousand pages of manuscripts.

In any case, what this made me think of was Barry's comment on his own handwritten scores. Technically they are the property of the studios. JB would say the studios would call for two or three months after a film looking for them. He had gotten a tip from one of the golden age composers saying to just ignore them and they'll eventually go away. And he was right.

The thing I'm curious about is the eternal claim that Williams has written two symphonies. We only know about the one that Previn premiered and then Williams basically withdrew. Could the other one they refer to be the Sinfonietta for Winds?

The thing I'm curious about is the eternal claim that Williams has written two symphonies. We only know about the one that Previn premiered and then Williams basically withdrew. Could the other one they refer to be the Sinfonietta for Winds?

Yes, that's one of the previously mentioned errors in the article. His sinfonietta is frequently confused as a symphony.

I'd say it is much more than just a nice gesture to hand over basically all physical evidence of our life as an artist to a place for scholars to study them. There's not just the idea of parting with your lifework, but allowing others to study it - and open up your work also to scholarly criticism that wouldn't be possible without the actual scores and sketches at hand. I think this is an incredibly generous gift that Williams made there. And I hope it shuts the mouths of those who were alluding to ghostwriters working on Williams' scores.

The stuff has to go somewhere! And a reputable library will be a better custodian than the Hollywood studios, as we know from bitter experience. Also, it's a tax deduction. None of which diminishes the forethought and generosity of this great man.

Juilliard's library, though located today on the Lincoln Center campus, is not a part of the adjoining New York Public Library and not generally as accessible to the public. This material will attract hordes. I do hope there will be reasonable access.

Lots of composers. I could easily name a dozen. Some are isolated incidents here and there simply because of a work burden, some are so lazy most if not all some of their scores, are written by somebody else.

I'm thinking of a prime example where a current-working composer is credited for a score he didn't write a lick of. Not that it matters, as the score is completely skippable.

And I hope it shuts the mouths of those who were alluding to ghostwriters working on Williams' scores.

Who made those accusations?

I once had a conversation with a musician from a local theater in Germany who said that he was working with someone who taught composition and who used to write parts of scores for Williams. I specifically asked if he meant as an orchestrator, and he basically said no, he was talking about actually composing.

If you ask me, this is only third-hand hearsay and most probably the warped perception of an inflated ego, but I was quite taken aback that these accusations would be thrown around so easily, and in a completely unsolicited manner (we had actually talked about something different and I hadn't disclosed my interest in film music to begin with).

Lots of composers. I could easily name a dozen. Some are isolated incidents here and there simply because of a work burden, some are so lazy most if not all some of their scores, are written by somebody else.

I'm thinking of a prime example where a current-working composer is credited for a score he didn't write a lick of. Not that it matters, as the score is completely skippable.

the part were and is running on the boat while she is filmed and the finishing piano part for that small boat deck scene - that part was written by Blake Neely using some of the music progression JNH had done earlier in the cue